Before & After: West Village Kitchen Goes from Ick to Slick

You may think your kitchen looks bad, but then there's this. When designer Carly Yates set out to redo this West Village kitchen, she definitely had her work cut out for her. Carly presented her renovation at our last Apartment Therapy Design Evening in New York; for those of you who weren't able to make it, here are all the details.

Under Carly's guidance, this kitchen, which hadn't been updated since the building was built in the 60s, was transformed into a modern, streamlined cooking space. All the major elements stayed in the same place, but the appliances, cabinets, countertops, and tile got a modern update. For a more contemporary look, Carly chose black absolute, a granite which has less graining and sediment. The granite has a honed finish as opposed to shiny one, and was finished with an eased edge (a lightly sanded 90 degree cut) instead of a beveled edge. The cabinet material is a custom finish developed by Carly, a White Oak veneer with a light white wash and a minimal, very matte polyurethane. This finish provides protection but allows the wood grain to shine through.

Carly also came up with some creative storage solutions for this small kitchen — shelves wrap a structural column, and in the corner by the window, where a soffit makes having a full cabinet impossible, she opted for open shelving. The total construction cost for the project came out to $162/square foot. Carly attributes her success to a clever mix of low and high price fixtures, appliances and finishes. The most important thing in a renovation, she says, is to find the right people for the job:

Do not compromise on the skill level and experience of a contractor. That is KEY. For example, $5 a square foot tile can look like $50 tile if installed perfectly and with unique touches.

Nice job, Carly! Thanks for sharing!

You can see more of Carly's projects at the website for her firm, 8 Point 8 Design.